Prospect Park resident Teddy Forson has used the soccer skills he developed in Ghana to lead Passaic Tech to the North 1, Group 4 quarterfinals.

WAYNE – Teddy Forson blinked his eyes and was transported back to Ghana.

The dirt road he played soccer on, the taped-up clump of paper he juggled like a ball, the two rocks placed on the ground a few feet apart used as a goal; it all seemed so real again.

But of all the memories of his adolescent years in Africa that filled his mind, none was stronger than the image of a younger version of himself dreaming what it would feel like to play on a real pitch someday.

"I used to visualize coming to America all the time," Forson said with only a hint of an accent. "When I thought about it, it made me happy. I could see myself on a turf field with a real ball. It was my dream."

Now, it is his reality and Forson isn’t ready for it to end.

Four years after his family emigrated from the small African nation to New Jersey to chase the American Dream, Forson is living his. He’s a senior striker on the Passaic Tech boys soccer team and one of the most prolific goal scorers in North Jersey.

The Prospect Park resident has a program-record 34 goals this year and a program-record 93 in his career.

But more importantly, Passaic Tech’s season is still alive after Forson helped the 13th-seeded Bulldogs orchestrate a 2-1 upset of No. 4 Clifton in the North 1, Group 4 state tournament.

Next up for PCT is No. 5 Randolph in the quarterfinals Monday at 2 p.m.

"His desire to win is what sets him apart," Passaic Tech coach Marc Foti said. "He wants the ball. No, he demands the ball, and when he gets it he wants to score. But he does that because he knows that’s what’s going to help us win."

Forson’s game has evolved beyond scoring, however. As a freshman, he was predominately a 1-on-1 player, using the kind of street moves he developed in Ghana to score 14 goals despite not starting until the middle of the season. But as his reputation in the area grew and defenses started double- and triple-teaming him, Forson has proven to be a reliable passer.

He set up the game-tying goal against Clifton with a centering pass to Jason Moreno, has assisted on at least one goal in all but five games this season and has recorded 47 assists in his career.

His multifaceted game is drawing interest from Iona College and Manhattan College. And for Forson, playing D-I soccer would be another step closer to the other goal he thought of as a kid in Ghana.

"I came here to chase my dream, to play soccer and go pro," Forson said. "I will continue to chase that as long as I can."